How is travel insurance affected by the Zika virus?
According to Squaremouth, a US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) advisory is generally not a covered reason to cancel a trip on standard travel insurance policies. This information is particularly pertinent given that earlier this week CDC issued a travel notice advising pregnant women to avoid travelling to a neighbourhood near Miami, Florida due to Zika concerns.
Squaremouth has reminded travellers that they would not be covered to cancel their trip to Florida out of fear of contracting the virus. They added that those with the Cancel For Any Reason upgrade can cancel their trip without providing a reason up to two to three days before the scheduled departure date. However, they will only be reimbursed up to 75 per cent of their trip cost.
“This coverage is not specifically related to the Zika virus, but it can apply to women who would want to cancel a future trip if they became pregnant,” said Squaremouth product manager Adam Rusin. “However, only some policies offer this coverage, so travellers should make sure to look closely at a policy’s Trip Cancellation benefit before purchasing.”
The online company has also informed travellers that it is too late to get travel insurance for Tropical Storm Earl. It has stated that the only way to make a successful claim is to have a travel policy in place before the storm is named, as after this point it became a foreseen event.